AI- and VR-supported interaction: A core practice-study in Englisch language education

How do generative artificial intelligence (AI) and high-immersion virtual reality (VR) transform opportunities for interaction in the English language classroom?

This project investigates how AI- and VR-supported communication spaces can be designed and used effectively to foster learners‘ interactional and discourse competence in English language education. Drawing on the foreign-language-specific Core Practice „Building a classroom discourse community“ (Glisan & Donato, 2026; Summer & Plötz, 2024), the project focuses on the requirements teachers face when planning, designing, and implementing AI- and VR-supported speaking tasks, as well as on the pedagogical guidelines that can be derived from these practices. An additional key question is how learners interact in AI- and VR-supported speaking tasks and how they perceive and experience different communication spaces. Conducted in cooperation with the Stiftung Bildungspakt Bayern and the projects KI@school and proof, the project comprises data collection in secondary schools across Bavaria. Its aim is to further develop the Core Practice „Building a classroom discourse community“ by taking the opportunities and challenges of digital technologies into account.